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NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

Signature City Natchez: Jewel of History and Culture on the Mississippi

Itinerary for May 14 — May 19, 2013

Description: This new hotel's location is the most historic on the Mississippi River. The spot is where the Mississippi River meets the ancient Natchez Trace. This overland route, now a national parakway, links Natchez, Miss.,444 miles northeast to Nashville, Tenn. The hotel, located near a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, offers nearby views of the river, including dramatic sunsets. The hotel.is in the heart of historic downtown Natchez, just steps from dining, shopping, entertainment, and historic attractions..

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: $125.00Room rent includes breakfast. To reserve a room for up to two nights before the program and/or two nights after the program, call the hotel directly and identify yourself as a Road Scholar. Give the opening date of the program. This procedure guarantees that the room will be used throughout the stay and no changing of rooms will take place. Hotel phone numbers: 866-488-0898 or 601-446-9994.

Check in time: 4:00 PM

Day One: Tuesday, May 14 - Welcome and overview of program

Afternoon: 4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. registration in the hotel lobby. At 6:00 p.m. attend a Welcome-To-Natchez reception with complimentary wine at the hotel.

Dinner: Dinner will be in the hotel.

Evening: Introductions of individuals, overview of the week's program, and overview of Natchez's history.

Description: This new hotel's location is the most historic on the Mississippi River. The spot is where the Mississippi River meets the ancient Natchez Trace. This overland route, now a national parakway, links Natchez, Miss.,444 miles northeast to Nashville, Tenn. The hotel, located near a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, offers nearby views of the river, including dramatic sunsets. The hotel.is in the heart of historic downtown Natchez, just steps from dining, shopping, entertainment, and historic attractions..

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: $125.00Room rent includes breakfast. To reserve a room for up to two nights before the program and/or two nights after the program, call the hotel directly and identify yourself as a Road Scholar. Give the opening date of the program. This procedure guarantees that the room will be used throughout the stay and no changing of rooms will take place. Hotel phone numbers: 866-488-0898 or 601-446-9994.

Check in time: 4:00 PM

Day Two: Wednesday, May 15 - Lectures about Natchez history and culture and th...

Lectures about Natchez history and culture and the Historic Trails project. Guided walking tour along the Mississippi River. Tour of historic Rosalie mansion. "Chopin and Champagne," a concert at an historic house. Dinner at an early building.

Note: walking

Breakfast: Breakfast is served every morning beginning at 6:30 a.m. in the hotel dining room.

Morning: A lecture about slavery and its impact on Natchez history and a lecture by the city engineer, who designed the Historic Trails project will set the stage for the Natchez visit.

Lunch: A lunch will be in a downtown restaurant.

Afternoon: A guided walk along the river bluff will lead to the historic mansion, Rosalie, where experts will lead you through. A piano concert by an Eastman School of Music graduate in his historic home will be followed by champagne and a tour. The event is called "Chopin and Champagne."

Dinner: Dinner will follow the day's historical agenda. It will be at one of the oldest buildings in town.

Evening: Informal discussion of points of interest in the historic cotton warehouse, now converted to an upscale restaurant and lounge. A stroll along the river will be highlighted by a magnificent sunset and lighted river bridges.

Description: This new hotel's location is the most historic on the Mississippi River. The spot is where the Mississippi River meets the ancient Natchez Trace. This overland route, now a national parakway, links Natchez, Miss.,444 miles northeast to Nashville, Tenn. The hotel, located near a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, offers nearby views of the river, including dramatic sunsets. The hotel.is in the heart of historic downtown Natchez, just steps from dining, shopping, entertainment, and historic attractions..

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: $125.00Room rent includes breakfast. To reserve a room for up to two nights before the program and/or two nights after the program, call the hotel directly and identify yourself as a Road Scholar. Give the opening date of the program. This procedure guarantees that the room will be used throughout the stay and no changing of rooms will take place. Hotel phone numbers: 866-488-0898 or 601-446-9994.

Check in time: 4:00 PM

Day Three: Thursday, May 16 - Lecture on Natchez architectural styles and decor...

Lecture on Natchez architectural styles and decorative arts. Exploration of an early church and a temple. A dinner modeled after a Natchez meal in 1836. A lecture about "The Black Swan," Elizabeth Greenfield, born a slave and an international singer.

Note: walking

Breakfast: Breakfast will be in the hotel dining room beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Morning: A lecture on architectural styles and decorative arts in Natchez buildings will precede a guided tour of St. Mary Basilica, one of the grandest Roman Catholic churches in the Deep South. Built in the 1840s, it was first a cathedral. The morning also includes a guided tour of Temple B'Nai Israel, one of the earliest Jewish congregations in the South.

Lunch: Luncheon at a downtown site.

Afternoon: Free time in the afternoon. Free wine at the hotel prior to an early dinner.

Dinner: An early dinner will be at a downtown restaurant featuring delectable foods mentioned in William Johnson's 1836 diary entries, foods continually eaten in the Deep South until today. It precedes a 7 p.m. lecture.

Evening: Noted historian Dr. David Sansing of the U. of Miss. will speak at 7 p.m. on "The Black Swan," Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, who was born a slave in Natchez. Her owner recognized her unusual vocal gifts, took her to Philadelphia for vocal training, and away she went to great fame and success in the U.S. and abroad. She sang a command performance for Queen Victoria. This is part of the Natchez Festival of Music and leads up to a concert by a contemporary vocalist using Ms. Greenfield's scores. The program will be at historic Trinity Episcopal Church. After the program a guided tour of the church will take place.

Description: This new hotel's location is the most historic on the Mississippi River. The spot is where the Mississippi River meets the ancient Natchez Trace. This overland route, now a national parakway, links Natchez, Miss.,444 miles northeast to Nashville, Tenn. The hotel, located near a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, offers nearby views of the river, including dramatic sunsets. The hotel.is in the heart of historic downtown Natchez, just steps from dining, shopping, entertainment, and historic attractions..

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: $125.00Room rent includes breakfast. To reserve a room for up to two nights before the program and/or two nights after the program, call the hotel directly and identify yourself as a Road Scholar. Give the opening date of the program. This procedure guarantees that the room will be used throughout the stay and no changing of rooms will take place. Hotel phone numbers: 866-488-0898 or 601-446-9994.

Check in time: 4:00 PM

Day Four: Friday, May 17 - Program about William Johnson, a Free Black; visi...

Program about William Johnson, a Free Black; visit to his home. Lunch in a mansion. Tour of First Presbyterian Church and Historic Photographs gallery. Lecture on the river and the Civil War. Concert at Cherokee as part of Natchez Festival of Music.

Note: walking

Breakfast: A full breakfast will be served in the hotel dining room beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Morning: Program about the Free Black, William Johnson, who died in 1853, with visit to his downtown home, which was restored and is now managed by the National Park Service.

Lunch: A private, specially arranged luncheon will be at a downtown mansion, Magnolia Hall. A guided tour of the mansion will be included.

Afternoon: Guided tour of First Presbyterian Church (1828) and its gallery, in which is a collection of more than 500 historic photographs, called Natchez in Historic Photographs." Lecture on the Mississippi River and its importance during the Civil War. At 5 p.m. is a concert, "The Black Swan Returns," at the mansion Cherokee, part of the Natchez Festival of Music. Diana Thompson, soprano, will perform.

Dinner: Dinner will be at a downtown location.

Evening: Screening of the dramatization of Eudora Welty's story, "A Worn Path," set in Natchez and on the Natchez Trace.

Description: This new hotel's location is the most historic on the Mississippi River. The spot is where the Mississippi River meets the ancient Natchez Trace. This overland route, now a national parakway, links Natchez, Miss.,444 miles northeast to Nashville, Tenn. The hotel, located near a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, offers nearby views of the river, including dramatic sunsets. The hotel.is in the heart of historic downtown Natchez, just steps from dining, shopping, entertainment, and historic attractions..

Smoking policy: NoSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Elevator: Yes

Additional nights before: $125.00Room rent includes breakfast. To reserve a room for up to two nights before the program and/or two nights after the program, call the hotel directly and identify yourself as a Road Scholar. Give the opening date of the program. This procedure guarantees that the room will be used throughout the stay and no changing of rooms will take place. Hotel phone numbers: 866-488-0898 or 601-446-9994.

Check in time: 4:00 PM

Day Five: Saturday, May 18 - Program about social customs in the Deep South, 1...

Program about social customs in the Deep South, 1790-1860. Tour of National Historic Landmark Stanton Hall. Lunch at the Carriage House. Tour of Dunleith gardens. Performance of "Kiss Me, Kate," part of the 23d annual Natchez Festival of Music.

Note: walking

Breakfast: Breakfast will be served in the dining room beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Morning: Program about less than genteel social customs in the Deep South, 1790-1860. Tour of Stanton Hall, a National Historic Landmark.

Lunch: Lunch will be at the Carriage House on the grounds of Stanton Hall mansion.

Afternoon: Tour of Dunleith gardens surrounding the mansion, a fully colonnaded structure dating to the 1850s and a National Historic Landmark.

Dinner: An early dinner at The Castle on the grounds of Dunleith.

Evening: A performance of "Kiss Me, Kate," a part of the Natchez Festival of Music

Breakfast: Breakfast will be served in the dining room beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Morning: Check out of hotel by 11 a.m.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Free Time Opportunities

Natchez, MS

Free Time In NatchezParticipants have lots to choose from for their free time. They can take another three house tour, go on carriage rides, play golf or tennis, and shop, just to mention a few.

Natchez, Miss.

Historic Mansions of NatchezVisit historic mansions, such as Longwood, uncompleted since 1861 when the Civil War broke out and Northern artisans fled back home. 140 Lower Woodville Rd, Natchez, (601) 442-5193.
Rosalie, overlooking the river, and other houses, churches, and buildings: www.rosaliemansion.comFor additional information, visit: www.visitnatchez.com

Natchez Museum of African-American History and CultureExhibits include "Portraits of Black Natchez," from the Norman Collection, “The Rhythm Night Club Fire,” and “Natchez Beginnings of America's Cotton Kingdom.” Open Tuesday-Saturday, 1 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. 301 Main Street, (601) 445-0728.

Natchez in Historic Photographs GalleryLocated in the First Presbyterian Church, this collection features the photography of Henry Norman, who photographed Natchez from 1870 until his death in 1913. Open Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 405 State St. (601) 442-2581.For additional information, visit: www.natchezms.com

Trinity Episcopal ChurchTrinity Episcopal Church is the oldest church building in Natchez and the oldest existing Episcopal church building in Mississippi. The interior decoration includes two stained-glass windows designed and installed by Tiffany. 305 South Commerce Street, Natchez, (601) 445-8432.

Important information about your itinerary: Please know that while we do everything we can to finalize all aspects of our programs well in advance, there are logistics that occasionally must be altered. Our website will reflect the most recent information, and we are committed to providing you with final program details no later than eight weeks prior to the start of programs outside the U.S. and three weeks prior to the start of programs within the U.S. If you ever have questions about your program, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

Need Help?

The latest in light, portable, easy-to-use QUIETVOX listening devices are available on Road Scholar programs.* Whether you are outdoors, in a crowd or in a museum environment where speaking loudly is discouraged, a listening device makes it feel like our experts are speaking clearly and directly to you. Hear for yourself on a Road Scholar adventure!

*Please note that due to the nature of some programs, the remote location or government regulations, listening devices may not be available. If you’d like to know for sure if your program will offer listening devices, just call and ask an Advisor!